welter
/ˈwɛltɚ/noun, verb, adjective
welter is spelled W-E-L-T-E-R: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 55,433rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, welter means “A general confusion or muddle, especially of a large number of items” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of welter is welters.
How many letters and syllables are in welter?
| Letters | 6: W-E-L-T-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 55,433rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is welter?
Welter appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 55,433rd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce welter?
- UK /ˈwɛltə/
- US /ˈwɛltɚ/
Welter has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-welter.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with welter?
4 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as welter from its last stressed vowel (/ɛltəɹ/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of welter
- welters plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- weltering participle, present
- weltered participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does welter mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A general confusion or muddle, especially of a large number of items.
- 2
A tossing or rolling about.
verb
- 1
To roll around; to wallow.
- 2
To revel, luxuriate.
- 3
To rise and fall, to tumble over, to roll.
- 4
To wither; to wilt.
adjective
- 1
Heavyweight. (of horsemen)
a welter race
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Welter in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does welter come from?
From Middle English welteren, equivalent to welt + -er (frequentative suffix). Cognates include German Low German weltern (“to wallow; roll”), Old Norse velta (Danish vælte), German wälzen, Gothic 𐍅𐌰𐌻𐍄𐌾𐌰𐌽 (waltjan). Akin to wallow and Latin volvō.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).